‘Barbie’s Greta Gerwig is giving major Trinity from ‘The Matrix’ vibes at Cannes Film Festival and literally no one’s talking about it

Swapping out the bright (and almost blinding) pink that defined 2023’s worldwide Barbie mania, director Greta Gerwig has turned heads with a decidedly darker look while stepping out at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.

Gerwig — who is this year serving (in more ways than one) as the festival’s Jury President — wore a custom Saint Laurent dress on the red carpet for the ‘Le Deuxième Acte’ (‘The Second Act’) premiere. The show-stopping and deep V-cut dress was adorned in shimmering auburn sequins, with a long leg slit unveiling Gerwig’s sleek silhouette.

At first glance, one might have mistaken the director for a character in The Matrix, with the slicked-back hairdo and the dress’ dark, leather-like tones giving major Neo/Keanu Reeves energy. All Gerwig needed was a pair of black shades and she’d be well on her way to taking the red pill. Gerwig completed the look with bold eye make-up, Chopard jewels and a pair of Saint Laurent pumps. 

While this might incur the wrath of some pastel-loving fans, it’s refreshing to see Gerwig in these darker tones, especially since the pink explosion brought on by Barbie’s press tour had threatened to damage our eyes for the better part of 2023. The look has extra oomph given that Gerwig is the first female American director to serve as a Cannes jury president, invoking all the can-do attitude of the plastic Mattel doll that brought in almost $1.5 billion at the box office last year. 

Gerwig’s Matrix-like look was styled by Karla Welch, who has elsewhere worked with the likes of Lorde, Justin Bieber, Karlie Kloss and Amy Poehler. After walking the red carpet for the French film premiere, Gerwig took the outfit for a spin during the opening ceremony at Cannes, and presented Meryl Streep with the festival’s prestigious Palme d’Or award. Gerwig previously directed Streep in the 2019 film adaptation of Little Women. 

While her look certainly turned heads, Gerwig was almost outshone by not one, but two furry red carpet entrants, with Messi — the famous dog from Anatomy of a Fall — caught taking a leisurely stroll at the starry event. Elsewhere spotted at the festival was Kodi, the dog from Cannes entrant film Dog on Trial. 

Among the buzziest films at this year’s festival are the Emma Stone-starring Kinds of Kindness directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, the John Krasinski-directed IF, and the Pixar animated sequel, Inside Out 2.

For its part, George Miller’s Mad Max installment Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga has been confirmed to premiere out of competition.